While the Golden State Valkyries' inaugural game was ruined by an 84-67 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, it was still a monumental night for the new team. With improvements to be made for the Valkyries, there's no denying the support that showed up for the contest, as even Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers made his presence, surprising head coach Natalie Nakase.

The Golden State coach served as Rivers' player development assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers, which is where the connection is from, according to ClutchPoints' Kenzo Fukuda. He would also be featured on the WNBA's official X, formerly Twitter, account, showing off a Valkyries shirt reading “first of a lifetime.”

Despite the festivities, the attention turns to basketball, where Golden State suffered a humbling loss to the in-state Sparks, but Nakase isn't stressing too much after the first game of the season.

“We started out small. Then we decided to go double-bigs, just to give them a different look,” Nakase said via Fukuda. “[We] mixed in some zone. I actually didn't even practice zone that much, so that's why that was a positive we took away. We barely worked on zone and it actually was our best defense. It's still early, it's game one. [Sometimes] I like to see a group when the ball is moving. That's usually the group that I like to stick with.”

Valkyries' Natalie Nakase sees improvement after inaugural loss

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May 16, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; An overhead view of the arena during the fourth quarter of the game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (center) gestures during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center.
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Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase (center) gestures during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center.
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Besides the history made in the inaugural game, there was also significance for the Japanese-American community as the Valkyries coach in Nakase proudly represents her heritage. While some could be disappointed by the opening contest, Nakase makes the case that some “grace” should be given due to the relative inexperience of some players starting and playing their first game with one another.

“I have to give them a little bit of grace,” Nakase said. “A lot of them, it's their first time starting. First time they've had heavy minutes. The first time I'm drawing ATOs for them. I'm getting used to what direction they want with the timing and everything.”

Golden State would shoot 36.5 percent from the field and 25.7 percent from beyond the arc to go along with 20 turnovers. On the defensive side of the ball, the Sparks found many more easy opportunities on offense, led by Kelsey Plum, who scored 37 points.

“I'm good with the turnovers because I know, intentionally, they aren't trying to turn the ball over. No one's trying to throw [the ball] to LA,” Nakase said. “We'll clean it up, we'll take a look at it, but I know there's a lot of room for improvement.”

The Valykyries start the inaugural season 0-1, looking for the first win in the franchise's history in their next game against the Washington Mystics next Wednesday.